Pupil Premium

Schools are allocated a sum of money called the Pupil Premium to support children who require additional help with their work. The allocation is calculated according to the intake of the school and the children that have been in receipt of Free School Meals in the last six years or have been in care for six months or longer. At Whittlefield Primary School all governors and staff share a strong commitment to doing our upmost to remove any barriers that might hinder a child’s development. We are determined to close any gap in attainment between those children eligible for pupil premium and other children. We intend to maximise the achievement of all our children.

The features of the school’s use of pupil premium.

A number of key principles underpin our use of Pupil Premium

The funding is always spent on the target group of children.

Eligibility for pupil premium is not confused with low ability. We focus on supporting our disadvantaged children to achieve the highest levels.

We carefully analyse which children underachieve and why.

The children eligible for pupil premium are taught by experienced and effective teachers and Teaching Assistants (within intervention).

We use achievement data frequently to monitor the progress of all children. We check whether pupil premium interventions are working and to see the difference the funding is making to outcomes for children.

Our Pupil Premium Allocation for 2014-15 was £86,300.

Our Pupil Premium Allocation for 2015-16 is £102,220

At Whittlefield Primary School we have decided to use this money to:

Increase the Teaching Assistant support in class and the delivery of intervention programmes

To contribute to the employment of a Pastoral Leader who will work with groups of children and also those most vulnerable.

To employ a Pastoral Support Worker who works with a wide range of children across the school. Her role is to deal with any emotional barriers to learning.

Provide financial support for pupil premium parents who, at times, may be unable to pay for school excursions.